Enter Joyce Linehan
by Grykon
Summary: Continuing the Uncivil War story line, after his first PT following the rescue of Daniel, Walter informs the team of his request to Cabe to expedite his citizenship application. AU 50.004


Walter was tired; his session with the therapists had worn him out. The Home Health Company that had sent out the therapists who had hurt him had been profusely sorry and apologetic, promised that no therapists except the original ones that he and Paige liked would ever come out and that he would always be top priority. Their insurance company at first balked at the claim against them but had been quick to offer a settlement when they saw the video of what happened that day.

Everyone was rather quiet following his workout, every one of them had hovered over the session the entire time after what had happened last time. His therapists understanding their concern were more than willing to endure it. Having feelings of guilt for not seeing Walter that day and what happened to him as a result they went easy with him as well as it had been almost a week since anyone worked with him.

"Hey guys, I'd liked you to gather over here at my desk," Walter said out loud finally. He smiled at Sylvester, "This doesn't really concern you Sly but I would welcome any input you might have."

Cabe was the last to join them as he was in the kitchen making a new pot of coffee. Walter smiled at Paige as she stepped up next to him and he took hold of her hand. "I wanted to advise you guys of something. This situation with Happy and I being married isn't working for me as I am well aware it isn't working for either of you." He said looking at Toby and Happy. "Therefore I asked Cabe to see if he could speed up the process so I can get my green card quicker and then Happy and I can get a divorce." Walter told them watching their faces.

"Was that a smart move baby?" Paige with worry on her face asked first.

"How can Cabe speed up the process?" Toby asked.

"Are you stupid O'Brien? That has to be the most ignorant thing you've done since bringing in Collins." Happy almost screamed at him. "Are you trying to get deported?" She continued.

"First," he looked at Paige and smiled, "I believe it was a smart move and the only one to make." He looked at Toby, "Cabe is going to argue that by being a citizen it would speed up my ability to get through customs and therefore speed up my response time to situations we're requested on." He looked at Happy, "No, I'm not trying to get deported and I am pretty sure I am still a genius. I know Collins turned out to be a colossal mistake, can we just drop that please?"

"I just received an email saying our case was being sent to a Joyce Linehan to over see. We have our first meeting with her tomorrow evening." Walter told them.

"Tomorrow evening? That doesn't give us a lot of time to prepare." Toby nearly yelled.

"Ah, but see, I used the cutting edge software I developed that we used to conceal the fact that those Eastern Europe presidents came here to stop war from erupting. And I have produced a couple of scrapbooks of pictures of me and Happy together 'through the years' so to speak." Walter pulled out a couple of photo albums handing one to Paige and the other to Toby.

"Is this what you have been working on the last couple of nights?" Paige asked and then flipped the cover open, "Oh boy."

Walter looked at her with concern, "What do you mean?"

"What does she mean? Are you kidding me 197? Look at these pictures. You two don't even look like you can stand each other much less pass for a married couple on a romantic vacation." Toby said as he ripped a picture out of the album and flung it at Walter. "Look at those sour pusses."

Walter grabbed the picture and looked at it, "Well, I do admit I had limited resource images to use for Happy and I. But look how realistic it looks, we could actually be on this beach in Fiji and no one would know."

"Again, except for the look on your faces. You might as well have been in two different places." Toby told him as Happy looked at the album.

"I got to admit Walter, it looks more like you two just got done arguing about who left the toilet seat up." Paige told him as she rubbed his shoulder.

The hurt was plain on his face, "I-I was just trying to make things better for them, f-for us." Walter looked into her eyes.

"I know baby and I am appreciative of that fact as I am sure Happy and Toby are, but if we are going to pass these off we're going to have to shoot new photos and make new pictures." Paige told him trying to smile with support.

"You know, if we use the green screen technology of Walter's with clothes we could speed up the process by eighty six percent." Sylvester told them.

"Okay, Paige you go to Target and pick up green pants and shirts for Walter and Happy, get long and short sleeved shirts as well as long and short pants. Make sure they aren't bulky. Sly I want you to scan the web for vacation pictures. Find what other couples are wearing, go back at least five years, I want you to find several for each year. Happy I want you to look up pictures from different holidays and both of you find the best match of clothes to each in the highest resolution." Toby told them.

"What are you going to do Doc?" Happy asked.

"I'm going to work with Walter to see if we can find the best way to photograph him without stressing his legs and back to actually stand." Toby told her.

Walter looked at Paige and kissed her, "Hurry back love, oh, you better pick up at least five sets of color cartridges for the printer and get a couple of packs of photo paper for it. Take the money from my personal account to pay for it."

Paige looked into his eyes, "I love you Walter O'Brien."

* * *

After Paige returned she spent the next three hours helping to plan the pictures with Walter and Toby. Finally Sylvester had gathered all the images of clothes that he'd found in vacation pictures as did Happy with holiday images and they set about planning various places around the Garage for the holiday pictures and Sylvester got the green screen set up for the vacation photos.

Paige and Sylvester took Walter up to the loft so he could change into the green clothes Paige got him while Happy put on hers in the trailer.

"Okay you two, your on vacation, having a good time in the sun together. You should be closer together." Toby told them.

Walter looked at Happy, "I think you are going to have to move more this way, this chair doesn't move."

Happy sighed and stepped closer. Toby looked at the view screen on the camera, "Looks like a prison photo. Paige, a little help please?"

"Okay, guys, close your eyes. Walter envision it's me standing there beside you on our vacation and Happy I want you to think of the happiest memory of you and Toby where he isn't pissing you off." Paige told them. As smiles came to their faces, "Okay, maintain those images in your mind but open your eyes."

"Perfect," Toby told them. After that the photos went quicker as they moved Walter around after getting all the green screen photos taken to get all the holiday shots in the Garage.

As they moved Sylvester accessed the camera wirelessly and began editing them with Walter's software and started printing them.

* * *

Paige looked over and saw Ralph sitting on the couch, looking sad. Walking up to him she squatted down, "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I don't like this; we should be taking vacations together with Walter, not making fake memories of him with Happy." Ralph told her.

Paige smiled, "We will baby, but we got to get Walter's citizenship first. Then he can file for a divorce from Happy."

Ralph looked up at her, "Then you and Walter will get married?" He asked with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Well, I-I don't know baby, we're a little ways away from that point. But I really hope so." Paige told him with a smile.

"I hope so too," Walter told them as he rolled up. "But I don't want to ask your Mom until after Happy and I are divorced, I don't want to disrespect your Mom."

Ralph's smile erupted on his face and he dodged around his Mom and jumped into Walter's lap and hugged him tightly.

It cause Walter a goodly amount of pain but he literally grinned and bore the pain returning the young man's hug as he saw the smile and tears in Paige's eyes.

* * *

That night after getting Walter in bed, Paige got in on her side and she looked over at Walter, "Walter, did you really mean what you told Ralph, you really hope to marry me?"

Walter nodded his head, "Did I ever tell you about what I thought was a memory from the capsule when I was recovering from the rocket launch?"

Paige shook her head.

"As I could feel the capsule separating from the engines I realized I was going to die and I knew my biggest regret was that I wasted the time given to us and I was going to die without having you become my wife. I know we haven't been dating long, or technically at all, and we've been sharing the same bed since I came home, but there is nothing else I want to make sure happens before I die than to marry you." Walter told her with a tear in his eyes.

Paige smiled with tears in her eyes and she bent over him and kissed him repeatedly, each kiss growing longer and more passionate.

* * *

"Okay guys, Ms Linehan should be here shortly, so remember now. Paige and I are single, Happy and Walter are a married couple so act it, but don't act it." Toby told them.

"What exactly does that mean?" Walter asked.

"That means you don't do anything to Happy you would have a problem with me doing to Paige." Toby told him.

"Eww, gross," Happy, Paige and Ralph all said in unison.

Walter shook his head and rolled over to Paige and took her hands, "I really wish we didn't have to do this. It doesn't feel right pretending to love someone else."

Paige smiled and leaned forward and kissed him, "Just remember, it's for our future and don't become too comfortable in the role." She arched her eye at him, "Your mine, and I don't share."

Walter smiled and moved over to his desk. As he began to work on a software job for Charter Bank, they heard the Garage door open.

Cabe stepped up, "Can I help you?"

"Joyce Linehan, dept. of CIS, I've an appointment to see Walter O'Brien and Happy Quinn." Joyce told him.

Cabe smiled, "Of course Ms Linehan, agent Cabe Gallo, Homeland."

"Good for you," she walked past Cabe and looked around. "Interesting," she said seeing Happy not far from Toby.

"Ms Linehan, I'm Happy Quinn" Happy said as she moved over to greet her.

"Ms Quinn," Joyce shook her hand. She looked up and saw Walter backing his wheelchair out from under his desk.

"Here Walter, let me help you," Paige reflexively said before she caught herself. She closed her eyes as she berated herself but continued over and helped him over.

"Mr. O'Brien," Joyce greeted him as she extended her hand.

Walter smiled and shook her hand, "I'd like to introduce Paige Dineen, she's my office/project manager and has been assisting me during my convalescence when Happy has been busy with her work. And these are our friends Toby Curtis and Sylvester Dodd."

"I see, well this is kind of a first meet and greet, get to know each other. I'd like to meet individually with everyone for a little bit but I wanted to ask a question. For a married couple, why do you maintain 2 separate residences?" Joyce asked looking at everyone trying to see who would blink first.

"Actually we don't. We just have the house in Happy's name. The loft upstairs is where I use to live, and I didn't see a reason to change my mailing address as we work here. It's still functionally an apartment because sometimes I work until really early in the morning and rather than risk driving tired I just crash up there, or did before being injured. We've been staying here since it was easier than trying to update her house to ADA compliance." Walter told her.

"Oh, Ms Linehan or may I call you Joyce?" Toby asked.

"No, you may not." Joyce replied.

"Okay, Ms Linehan, perhaps you would like to see their photo albums of their lives together." Toby said trying to ignore her response.

Joyce walked over to the coffee table and picked up one and flipped through it. "What a cute kid, who's is he?" Joyce asked as she saw Ralph peek around the corner of the kitchen.

Paige smiled, "That's my son Ralph."

"Well, hello Ralph," Joyce said.

"Hello Ms Linehan," Ralph replied.

"Interesting," Joyce said for the second time, this time looking at the album. "This picture of the two of you wearing your Dorothy and Scarecrow costumes by the desk over here. And the calendar that clearly says 2016."

Ralph looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry, that was my fault."

Paige turned and looked at him, "What do you mean Ralphy?"

"I was so excited looking at the pictures I dropped the albums and some of the photos fell out. I thought I got them all back where they belonged." Ralph looked at Walter, "I'm really sorry."

Walter smiled, "Its okay buddy, accidents happen."

"Well I think I know where I would like to start the interviews." Joyce said. "Ms Dineen, since your son is here so much, do you have a problem with me interviewing him first?"

Paige looked shocked and looked around but no one seemed to be expressing anything she could work with, "I guess its okay. Is it okay with you Ralphy?"

Ralph nodded.

"We'll just go back to the back where we can talk privately. Just feel free to talk amongst yourselves." Joyce told them as she walked back to the back with Ralph.

* * *

"So young man, what's your opinion on Mr. O'brien and Ms Quinn?" Joyce asked.

"Do I have to tell you?" Ralph asked sadly.

"It would really help me evaluate Mr. O'Brien's application for citizenship.

Ralph nodded, "Walter is my mentor, almost like my Dad. My Dad walked out on my Mom and me when I was two."

"I see, what about his wife?" Joyce asked as she looked at him.

"I hate her," Ralph grew angry. "I can't prove it but I am positive she's cheating on him with Toby. I tried to tell my Mom, I want her to marry Walter but she refuses to entertain the thought. Even though she really likes Walter a lot, my Dad cheated on her too and she says she refuses to be the other woman."

"What makes you think that Ms Quinn is cheating on Walter?" Joyce asked.

"Toby's always hanging around her and they go to the 'store' a lot. Except they almost never come back with anything, it's gotten worse since Walter was injured, Mom has really had to stick around late to care for him. I'm just worried that when Walter finds out the truth it's going to break his heart so bad that he won't recover, or at least to the point that he could make a life with my Mom and I. The other day they were both talking on their phones, she was in her work area and he was on his couch upfront. And I could hear them both because I was doing my homework at the monitor tree and it was clear they were talking to each other. He was saying all kinds of gross things like 'you're my spicy Asian roll', she was just eating it up."

Ralph had done his homework on Joyce and found out that she was recently divorced when her husband had left her for another woman. He'd calculated a ninety three point four percent chance that by painting Walter as a victim along with his injuries it would curry favor with her and by expressing his Mom's love for Walter but her refusal to be the other woman would help cover up any responses she might slip up on when Walter needed something and telling her of his suspicions of Happy cheating with Toby it would cover anything she saw between them.

"So you and your Mom really like Walter huh?" Joyce asked.

Ralph smiled real big and nodded. "Walter saved me and really my Mom too. My Mom had been working so hard at two jobs since I was two because of my Dad leaving and he never even bothered to write me, let alone send money to help us. I know this because my Dad finally showed up a few months after my Mom started working here, seven years after he left us. My Dad was a real jerk. When I asked him why he hadn't ever sent me any birthday cards or sent Mom any money he just made excuses about how tight his money was. Maybe if he had cut back on his trips to Tahoe to gamble he'd have money to help us. Anyway Walter had a job in the café my Mom was a waitress at and I was there that day. Back then I only talked to my Mom; I was unable to connect with people. Walter took one look at me and he knew how to help me. So he hired my Mom with more than enough pay and benefits she was able to quit both of the other jobs and work here full time. And he worked with me and he showed me that I wasn't alone in the world."

Joyce turned her head and wiped a tear away from her eye, "That was very kind of him."

"Oh you don't know the half of it. Scorpion, his company here was his dream to bring people with extraordinary abilities together that they could use those abilities to help others." Ralph told her and went on to tell her of all the kids that Walter and the team had been able to save.

* * *

After Joyce had left they all gathered to compare notes.

"I'm here to tell you, that woman hates me to death. I felt like she wanted to strangle me and the way she kept calling me mis-ter Curtus, that's right, with two u's." Toby told them.

"Yea, she has zero love for me too. At one point I thought we we're going to get into a fight. And I told her if she called me mizz Quinn again I was going shove my foot up her ass." Happy told them.

"That's weird, she was really nice to me almost scary sweet. Called me by my first name and told me to call her Joyce." Paige told them.

Walter frowned, "That is really odd, she told me to call her Joyce too and the whole time I felt like she wanted to just give me a hug."

"You're welcome," Ralph told them.

They all looked at Ralph, "Ralphy, what do you mean?" Paige asked.

Ralph told them about finding out about Joyce's past and then told them about everything he told her about them.

Paige was almost beside herself but the others were laughing. "What are you laughing about? That was a horrible thing to do."

"Actually it was genius; he's now elevated Walter and you in sympathy so when Walter gets his citizenship she won't bat an eye when Happy files for divorce. She'll just have more pity for Walter and when she reads about you and Walter filing for a marriage license she's going to be very happy for you. That was brilliant Ralph." Toby said.


End file.
